Portage Park Skechers employees accused of theft

Two employees of a Portage Park Skechers store were arrested Tuesday on charges of theft after they allegedly separately stole a total of more than $10,500 from the store over half a year.

Mario Lekovic, 23, of the 6400 block of West Belle Plaine, and Alen Pale, 24, of the 4200 block of North California Avenue, were arraigned separately Wednesday afternoon at the Cook County Criminal Courthouse.

According to prosecutors, both stole money from the Skechers outlet by conducting "false returns" of merchandise under their employee numbers when merchandise hadn't actually been returned to the store. Pale, a store manager, allegedly stole a total of $10,282.30 in cash from the store from June 6 to Oct. 15, prosecutors said, while Lekovic allegedly netted about $500 between July 22 and Sept. 8.

Lekovic's bond was set at $10,000 after his lawyer asked the judge not to place him on electronic home monitoring conditions because he was planning on leaving on a vacation to Cancun next week. Pale was released on a $50,000 I-bond.